DRAFT CLASS: 101.B

In our continuing effort to spread the word & educate the masses here is a 3rd installment of "DRAFT CLASS". These editions will be reviewing various subjects related to this Aprils "NFL DRAFT". This particular installment will go over the basics of the NFL DRAFT for all of our newcomers.

If you have any questions please post them here or email me directly. Enjoy! Again, thanks to the folks at Wikepedia for this information.

Compensatory Picks
In addition to the 32 picks in each round, there are a total of up to 32 picks dispersed at the ends of Rounds 3 through 7. These picks, known as "compensatory picks", are awarded to teams that have lost more talented players than they gained the previous year in free agency. These picks cannot be traded, and are awarded based on a proprietary formula based on salary and performance. So, for example, a team that lost a backup quarterback in free agency might get a sixth-round compensatory pick, while a team that lost their best wide receiver might receive a third- or fourth-round pick.
If fewer than 32 such picks are awarded, the remaining picks are awarded in the order in which teams would pick in a hypothetical eighth round of the draft.

[edit] Eligibility
The draft is the first chance each team gets at players who have been out of high school for at least three years. Players whose high school class did not graduate three or more years before are not eligible for the draft and hence are not eligible to play in the NFL. Most drafted players come directly out of college programs as seniors or juniors, though some underclassmen are eligible,(red shirted sophmores) and other players are selected from other pro leagues like the Arena Football League. A player who is drafted, but does not sign a contract can sit out that season, which is referred to as a "holdout", and can re-enter the draft the following year.

[edit] Mr. Irrelevant
The NFL Draft has developed a phenomenon known as "Mr. Irrelevant", which is the final player taken over the two-day event. This player actually receives some celebrity status, receiving a parade and the Lowsman Trophy, which is much like the Heisman trophy, except instead of carrying the ball, the player is fumbling the ball. Past "honorees" of the Mr. Irrelevant title can be seen here.

[edit] Salaries
The NFL allows each team to spend a limited amount of money from its salary cap to sign rookies (including undrafted players). Teams with higher picks get a higher rookie salary cap allocation. The salary cap increases from the year before, so most years there is more money allotted to teams for signing rookies. This form of salary control is legal because it has been negotiated into the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the National Football League Players Association(NFLPA).
The drafted players are paid salaries commensurate with the position in which they were drafted. High first-round picks get paid the most, and low-round picks get paid the least. There is a de facto pay scale for drafted rookies. After the draft, any non-drafted rookies are allowed to sign a contract with any team in the league. These rookie free-agents usually do not get paid as well as drafted players, nearly all of them signing for the predetermined rookie minimum.

DRAFT CLASS: 101.A

I've recieved quite a few emails from people who are brand spanking new to the whole "NFL DRAFT" experience & need some instruction on the very basics of the concept itself. So, I will be posting a series of "DRAFT CLASS" articles that go over these basics to help all of our newbies get up to speed. As usual, if any of you have any questions please don't hesitate to either email me or post your question on COLD DRAFT 2007.

The following information comes from the folks at Wikipedia. They have some really great stuff that can be found at this link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nfl_draft.

The NFL Draft has been in New York City since 1965 and has had to move into large venues as the event has gained in popularity, drawing fans from across the country who are looking for a reason to paint their faces in April. The 2006 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall, the first time this venue has hosted the gala. Madison Square Garden had hosted the event for a number of years, but the NFL moved it to the Javits Convention Center in 2005 following a dispute with MSG management opposing a new stadium for the New York Jets.
Tickets are free, but long waits in line can be expected for fans hoping to get a live glimpse of their team's high-profile picks, or to express their displeasure at their team picking the "wrong" guy. Fans must arrive early in order to attend the draft.
The current format consists of seven rounds. Each team is assigned a selection in each round, with the team with the worst record from the previous year being assigned the first pick in each round. The team with the second-worst record gets the second pick, and so on. Ties are broken by strength of schedule. For teams that qualified for the playoffs, ties are broken first in the order in which they were eliminated from the postseason. However, the Super Bowl participants make the final two selections, with the team that lost the game picking next to last, and the winner picking last.
The first overall pick generally gets the richest contract, but other contracts rely on a number of variables. While they generally are based on the previous year's second overall pick, third overall, etc., each player's position also is taken into account. Quarterbacks, for example, usually command more money than offensive linemen, which can skew those dollar figures slightly.
Each team has its representatives attend the draft. During the draft, one team is always "on the clock". In Round 1, teams have 15 minutes to make their choice. The decision time drops to 10 minutes in the second round and to 5 minutes in Rounds 3-7. If a team doesn't make a decision within its allotted time, the team still can submit its selection at any time after its time is up, but the next team can pick before it, thus possibly stealing a player the late team may have been eyeing.

DRAFT CLASS: 101

Did you ever wonder how teams decide what value to place on their draft picks & how they decide if trading it away is really worth it? Me too, until now!

I recently ran into an NFL TRADE VALUE CHART that war rooms across the NFL use to determine a draft positions numerical value & then match up the players with that position. Now if they trade away that draft position/pick then they must get a combination of draft picks or draft picks & players that equal that draft position/pick.

For instance, let’s take the Minnesota Vikings. Great team by the way! They earned the 7th pick overall in the draft for 2007. According to the chart the 7th overall pick has a value of “1,500” points. Now, if another team, like the Miami Dolphins, wanted to trade up with the Vikes they would have to offer a package equal to or greater to that assigned “1,500” point value of the 7th over all pick. The Dolphins have the #9 overall pick & that would have a value of “1,350” points. They would then have to come up with another 150 points that represents the difference between the 7th & the 9th overall picks. How they decide to do this is at the discretion of the Vikings. They could either demand one of the Dolphins picks from an upcoming round or even accept a trade of an existing player that they would agree represents or has a value equal to that 150 points.

Unfortunately, I could not show the chart directly on to this post but I do have the link so you can view it thanks to http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/features/valuechart.html. Take a look!